Today we’d like to introduce you to Abraham Hinojosa-Villarreal
Hi Abraham, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
The RGV Bears started as a back-of-the-napkin idea over whisky and wine. Bear events and bear organizations across the state have been thriving as of late, but these aren’t always as geographically accessible to members of the LGBTQ+ community in the Valley. So we started a Facebook page in April of 2021 as a means to start to organize community and build up connections and really ideas for the types of events and spaces the community wanted to see. We started with small socials at local queer owned bars and a bear brunch & pool party in 2021 and now hosting Wet Oso Weekend, our largest bear event held at SPI, having almost 350 bears in attendance this last year and we are only expecting to keep that growing.
Over the years, the bears have very much evolved to further grow our presence in the community, officially opening membership in 2022 and further expanding the safe and celebrated spaces we offer to now include expression of leather and kink through our RGV Leather Weekend, of which we sponsor and support the title winner of Mr. RGV Leather as they compete and represent us at IML in Chicago every year.
It’s crazy to think, looking back, at how much we’ve grown as a group within the community, especially considering how this was all just a simple idea a few years ago.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been a fun road for sure, but most definitely with struggles along the way. We started originally with just 3 board members, and as anyone that has organized a large event can tell you, it takes a lot more than 3 people to make things run smoothly. That first Wet Oso Weekend was a real eye opener in letting us know that we needed to start building thr community and getting them active and invested in trying to create these bear positive spaces with us. I think having that organized group of people all working together to build these spaces up is really the key thing we learned we needed to really thrive in our community.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
You can very much see the service to our community reflected in the work our board members do in our professional lives.
I personally work as a care coordinator with a focus on LGBTQ+ and Trans Health, helping queer folk navigate the hurdles of insurance and the current health-care climate to help them get the affirming care they deserve.
Another of our board members is a VP at our local STI and Reprodutive health non-profit organization, helping build and provide those sexual health resources the LGBTQ+ community very much needs.
Yet another of our board members just recently opened a family medicine practice with their partner with a focus on providing affirming care for queer folk, which is not something very commonly seen in medical practices here in the Valley.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
If anything, I would say we learned why we needed to organize and grow the bear community. COVID was a very isolating time for all of us, when you’re cut off from the world like that, you very much realize what’s important and the really core of what’s needed for one’s self and community at large. And for us, it taught us to have that community and network that welcomes, invites, and celebrates all
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rgvbears.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/956rgvbears/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rgv.bears
- Other: https://linktr.ee/rgvbears
